


Veronica Mars, Season 1, Episode 10, An Echolls Family Christmas

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s01e10 An Echolls Family Christmas, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 01, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25178497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.
Kudos: 1





	Veronica Mars, Season 1, Episode 10, An Echolls Family Christmas

Open to Veronica and Keith decorating a Christmas tree. She tries to figure out what he wants, and he insists he wants her to save her money.

Meanwhile, over at the Echolls’s pool house, Logan, Weevil, Duncan, and two boys, Connor and Shawn, are playing poker. Connor is a big-time actor, and Shawn goes to school with the others.

Touchy-feely Duncan starts singing off-key, and being a decent friend, Logan confiscates his drink. Weevil makes a crack about the cigar Logan has in his mouth, and Logan responds with racist and classist remarks. Duncan steals a drink from one Shawn, and it’s revealed Shawn stole it from has a chauffeur.

Logan pushes all his chips in, and Weevil pushes a small amount of his in. They both reveal some of their cards, and Logan goes on a spiral about high the chances of him winning are.

I take great pleasure when he manages to lose despite these odds. Even more amusing is how much pleasure Duncan takes in his friend’s misfortune.

Weevil requests his five grand, and Logan agrees. Then, showing genuine bewilderment, he can’t find the money.

The next scene is of the four boys in their underwear. Hilariously, Duncan and Logan have matching reindeer boxers. One of the boys inquires if they called one another.

I think a better question would be: Do they go underwear shopping together?

Stealing a gold egg, Weevil informs them, one way or another, he will get his five grand.

After the credits, Wallace and Veronica are at school discussing how much not being rich sucks, and Duncan tears past them. He demands Weevil return his laptop. Weevil reiterates his desire for the money, and Duncan insists he wasn’t the thief.

Once Weevil and the others leave, Veronica and Wallace walk over, and Duncan explains the situation.

Veronica response is the quote about getting fleas if a person lies down with dogs. Duncan says he didn’t invite Weevil.

“I wasn’t talking about Weevil,” is her response.

She walks away, but Duncan chases after her. He says he had a journal on his laptop, and at one point, she was a prominent feature.

Realising she needs to put herself on the case, she goes to a darkened room where Weevil and the PCHers are sitting on beanbags. Weevil makes it seem as if he won’t accept Veronica’s help before heavily implying he’ll totally accept her help, and also, Duncan’s laptop might somehow find its way back to Duncan if she does so.

There’s a flashback of Weevil wanting in on Logan’s poker game. Logan refuses, but Weevil insists he has the thousand dollars buy-in. Throughout the scene, the two insult one another, and in the end, Logan agrees.

Back in the classroom, Weevil says he knows no one left with the money, and Veronica asks whom he’s the most suspicious of. He answers Logan had opportunity.

There’s a flashback of all the boys minus Logan rushing to see Lynn dive into the pool.

Back in the present, Veronica is focused on the fact Duncan was also at the window. Weevil has no patience for her confused feelings towards her ex-boyfriend.

At the Mars household/office, Lynn walks with the scene being shot to frame her as a femme fatale. She takes off her oversized glasses, and thankfully, no black eyes are revealed.

She’s come to Keith due to finding a threatening letter on the breakfast table. Aaron receives a copious amount of disturbing mail from fans, and though he tries to throw them away, she tries to save them.

He asks to see the ones she’s managed to save, and they agree he’ll come over later. There’s a bit of awkwardness when they discuss their respective children, but on the whole, it seems as if they have a sincere respect for one another.

Back at school, Veronica finds Duncan, and he can’t seem to decide if he’s relieved or annoyed she’s on the case.

A flashback reveals he’s didn’t know Weevil was invited until he showed up to find Weevil already there.

The next scene is of Duncan and Logan in the quad. Logan regales a group of students with the situation. Duncan quietly leaves, and chasing after him, Logan demands he say whatever he has to say. Duncan asks if Logan stole the money with the declaration Logan has been slowly turning into a jackass.

Logan has always been a jackass. This fact is not a secret.

Duncan declares their friendship over.

Despite my dislike for him, I do legitimately feel bad for Logan in this scene. All his numerous faults aside, he is the type of person who would move the stars for the people he truly cares about, and to have his oldest and closest childhood friend say such a thing must be truly heart-breaking for him.

At the Echolls house, numerous workers are decorating in the background as Lynn and Keith talk. The stalker sent six previous letters, and Keith suggests cancelling the party. Saying she’s hired plenty of security, Lynn refuses. He points out any of “the help”, as she puts it, could be a security risk.

Appearing, Aaron realises Keith is here about the threatening letters. Trying to brush them off, he all but physically guides Keith to the door. When he opens it, however, they find a pumpkin with Aaron’s face carved on it with a knife sticking through the face and red liquid on the knife and pumpkin.

The following scene is of Keith at the office calling someone to ask if they do pumpkin carvings. “Yes, I’m aware that it’s Christmas,” he resignedly answers. Heh.

Veronica comes in, and he sends her to the Echolls with some papers for Lynn to sign.

Over there she runs into Logan, and he gives the vibe he wants to talk to her about Duncan. Instead of doing so, however, he’s his typical unbearable self. Finally, he suggests she talk to Connor. Implying Connor has a cocaine problem, he says Connor doesn’t like him.

There’s a flashback of Connor telling an embarrassing childhood story of Logan.

It’s certainly probable Connor doesn’t like him, but telling an embarrassing childhood story is nothing to base the theory he doesn’t on.

More than the embarrassing story, Logan is suspicious, because, Connor immediately went to the bathroom when he got a phone call.

Determined to go with this lead, Logan calls someone to get clearance for Veronica to meet Connor.

At the set, Veronica briefly does a mental drool over Connor’s abs. After getting a hold of her hormones, she asks about the poker game.

There’s a flashback where it’s revealed they ordered pizza, Shawn was a tightwad who refused to chip in for pizza and brought his own beer, and Duncan insisted on giving the delivery guy a decent tip. Since Connor didn’t have the money on him and Logan refused to contribute more than two or three dollars, Weevil handed over some money for the tip.

Back in the present, receiving a call from his agent, Connor wanders away.

Veronica calls Wallace.

The next scene has Keith arriving at a tennis court where Aaron is playing. Keith asks to speak to Aaron in private, Aaron refuses, and so, Keith just straight out asks if Aaron was having an extramarital liaison last Halloween. Offended, Aaron insists he’s faithful to his wife. He continues he and Lynn were at a costume party last Halloween.

There’s a brief scene of Veronica going to Shawn’s house where she’s told he isn’t allowed to have friends over.

Meanwhile, Keith is talking to a caterer. She tells him, last Halloween, Aaron insisted a woman be fired for catching him in bed with a woman who wasn’t Lynn.

I’m guessing he’s never heard of paying someone off or of trying to use his acting skills to convince her he was slightly drunk, been having problems with his wife, and feels terrible but deeply loves Lynn and knows he’d lose her for good if this comes out.

I’m not saying I condone either method, I’m just saying forcing someone to lose their job probably isn’t the best way to sweep things under the rug.

The next day, Shawn arrives at school in a fancy car, and when he gets out, the chauffeur gets out to hand him some books. Veronica comes over, and he complains about Weevil stealing his Rolex. When Veronica tries to defend Weevil, he correctly points out what Weevil is doing is thievery.

There’s a flashback of Weevil making the others strip.

Back in the present, Shawn theorises Weevil stole the money before he won. Veronica doesn’t think this likely.

Elsewhere, Keith confronts Aaron about what the caterer said. He makes it clear his only concern is tracking down a potentially dangerous stalker. “If Lynn had hired me to find out if you were cheating on her, I would tell her. She hired me to protect you, and that’s what I’m going to do.” Giving Aaron a list, he tells him to circle the name of the person he slept with.

Aaron circles several, and Keith realises he should have clarified he meant during the one particular party. He shows Aaron some pictures, and Aaron points out three women. Keith suggests they be uninvited from the party.

Next, at a woman’s house, Keith asks a woman having her dress adjusted for information.

Back at Neptune, Veronica and Wallace briefly talk before the camera goes over to where Duncan and Shawn are having pizza. Coming over, Logan defiantly sits down next to Duncan. Duncan stands up, and Logan makes as if he might follow if Duncan walks away.

To quote Shawn, “Guys, kiss and make up already.”

Veronica and Weevil come over, and she declares she knows who stole the money. Despite Logan’s protests it’s his mother’s Christmas party tonight, Veronica wants him to host another poker party and have the others buy her in for repayment of her revealing the culprit; she’ll take said culprit’s place. Weevil agrees to return the stuff he nicked once he gets his five grand.

There’s a transition to the party.

First, the adults are shown, and then, it’s over to the pool house. Weevil offers Veronica a soda, but she chugs down some of Duncan’s Jack Daniels instead to reveal it’s really iced tea. He pretended to be drunk in order to try to throw the others off-guard. In addition, the reason Connor took so many bathroom breaks was due a different type of tea he drank; it acted as a diuretic.

Next, she clears Logan by explaining, when she came by earlier, she could tell he’d literally torn the room apart looking for the money.

She declares Shawn hid the money in the beer he brought, and then, he retrieved the bottles from the recycling bin the next day.

The bottles were a green-ish colour, but wouldn’t the others be able to see something was in them? Wouldn’t someone feel the fact they had something in them?

It turns out Shawn’s dad is a butler, and his employers are fond of his kid.

Obviously, he’s an idiot, but I wish someone would ask: Why would you shoplift and steal poker money? Why not use their fondness for you to help you get into a good university or hook you up with people who can get you a good job? Why not find a way to secretly sell the Rolexes and other such gifts if you’re so desperate for money now?

Furthermore, I’m not sure whether or not it’s realistic he was able to fool everyone for what seems to be a significant period of time.

Shawn promises he can pay Weevil, but Weevil drags him off.

Sitting down, Veronica deals for the three remaining boys.

At the adult party, Aaron gets a subtle look of unease when he sees a woman.

Meanwhile, Keith is looking at the pictures from earlier has a realisation. He calls the caterer. It turns out the fired woman was a carver.

Back to the pool house, Weevil has rejoined them, and Veronica is winning. It’s suggested everyone take a break to get some food.

At the adult party, Veronica and Weevil are hanging out, and he points out how much he doesn’t blend in.

I’m honestly surprised Lynn or Aaron hasn’t discretely had him thrown out by now. Maybe Logan explained his presence off-screen.

Seeing something, Veronica leaves him standing there with both his plate and hers in his hands. Heh.

Meanwhile, Logan and Duncan make up. Surprisingly, given the two involved, it’s a genuinely sweet, if awkward, scene.

Outside, Keith is trying to get past security.

In the Echolls library, Veronica confronts Jake Kane about CW stalking her.

Back outside, as security is looking for a woman on the list, Keith slips by.

In the library, Veronica demands answers. She physically stands in front of the door as Jake tries to leave.

Through a window, Keith sees Veronica and Jake exchange heated words.

Leaving, Jake confronts Celeste in front of the Echolls.

There’s a neat visual of Duncan standing behind Veronica as they both watch his parents.

Physically dragging Celeste away, Jake orders her to get her coat, and a confused Duncan goes after them.

Next, Lynn starts to usher everyone outside for a surprise she has planned.

It’s shown Keith has gotten inside.

When everyone is leaving, a female server comes up to Aaron. She starts laying into him for using emotional manipulation to get her into bed.

Like an idiot, Aaron tries to convince Lynn he doesn’t know this angry woman in front of him instead of acknowledging what a horrible piece of trash he is who had no right to hurt either of them in such away.

Even if he didn’t believe a word of it, he could probably use his acting skills to hold things off long enough for security or some form of help to arrive.

Her response is to stab him. There’s chaos for the people still in the house.

Outside, the party-goers are obliviously listening to the hired carollers.

Veronica gives a depressing VO about how Christmas is nothing special or truly joyous in Neptune.

Fin.


End file.
